


Cinderella and the Headset

by ChelleLew



Category: NASCAR RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-26
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-03-15 09:30:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 18,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3442073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChelleLew/pseuds/ChelleLew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her life was in turmoil. She went to the Daytona 500 to have a little break from reality. While there, the unbelievable happens and Hazel feels like she has stepped into a Nascar version of Cinderella so she runs. She didn't count on a very determined not-so-charming nor very prince-like man deciding he wasn't letting her go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The woman walked into Daytona alone amid the throng of race fans. She didn’t pay attention to the screams of the women trying to get their favorite driver’s attention or the men hurling insults at the drivers they despised. She simply went about her way, stopping to purchase a shirt here, a hat there, and a die-cast at yet another souvenir trailer. With her purchases safely in-hand and her ticket around her neck, the brunette made her way to her seat to watch the prerace festivities. She made her way to the top of the grandstands – in a concert stadium, her seat would be in what was called “the nosebleed section” – and she settled in to enjoy the ambiance. The drivers were introduced. Kid Rock sang. The National Anthem was performed. Vince Vaughn gave the command, “Drivers, start your engines!” and he actually sounded like he was a race fan as he said it. Then the race was on.

After 10 laps, she sat down. The last few days had been long and jam-packed. She hadn’t expected to get to come to Daytona but decided that she deserved a break and no one else was giving it to her. She was feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated. She was at the end of her rope and ready to crack. She knew she needed a release and had decided to come to the season-opener in Daytona to do it. Her one regret was that no one would come with her. As the noise of the race filled the air around her, thoughts of her life back home filled her head. She stared at the big 88 going around the track. Twenty laps down, and she still didn’t feel any better about her life. On the plus side, she did have the guts to step out on her own. She wasn’t living in a shadow anymore. That independent step was a huge leap, a stride that no one expected. It had taken her long enough to feel comfortable in her own skin to try it and now, here she was, in Daytona Beach, Florida. On her own. She readjusted her belongings so her purse and drink were inside the bag containing her purchases. By her way of thinking, this meant less stuff to carry. Thinking again, she took the bag and stuffed it inside her purse. That was sturdier. She stared at her purse with the bag and drink inside, still not sure which was the wiser way to keep things compact. She heard the announcer say that lap 34 was complete.

A few laps later, someone nearby pointed at the roof above their heads and shouted “Spotters!” She looked up and shrugged. Unable to really see anything, she returned her attention to the race. Unbeknownst to her, a shoving match between several of the spotters had begun in the stand above her head. The disagreement escalated to the point some would consider it a fight or a near-brawl, but the fans below were unable to see from their vantage point and the television cameras were not covering the incident.

Everything came to a head on lap 41. Tony Stewart got loose and began to slide on the track, collecting  Ryan Blaney and Matt Kenseth as he slid up the track towards the wall. People were on their feet trying to get a better view, loving the sound of crunching metal. For the brunette fan in the stands that had been looking to see if Junior had made it through unscathed, life was about to get interesting. A headset landed in her lap as Tony’s car slid horizontally on the track. Wrinkling her brow, she picked up the headset and looked around. She didn’t see anyone that appeared to be missing their ear protection nor was anyone looking at her. How did all of these people miss this thing falling from the sky? It was at that point that she heard shouting coming from the earphones. Holding them up to her ear, she realized that this set had a microphone as well. _This isn’t just a run-of-the-mill headset. This is the **real deal**!_ she thought _._ Putting the headset on, she heard the unmistakable sound of Tony Stewart shouting to his spotter…a spotter who no longer had his headset.

Standing on her seat with her hand on the building to keep her steady, she searched the track for the 14 car. Tony had gotten his car straightened up and headed in the right direction, but he was furiously requesting that his spotter do his job and guide the way off the track and onto pit road. Hazel spoke with a clear voice, “Clear low. Clear low. Steady straight. Steady…Steady…Clear low…Clear to pit road…” As she gave directions, he followed. Once the 14 was on pit road, Chad Johnston talked him into the pitbox. The crew ran around the car assessing the damage and Tony began to fire questions. “What happened to Bob Jeffrey? Who is on my radio?”

“Looking into it, boss.” his crew chief answered. The crew finished changing all four tires and pulling out the front fender.

“Need an answer, Chad!” Tony growled.

“I don’t know what happened to Bob but your headset landed in my lap. I saw you sideways on the track and heard you shouting in my ear. All I knew was you needed to hear how to get to pit road, so I talked you in. If I was wrong, I apologize.” Hazel’s voice was soft but strong. It seemed to wash over Tony like a gentle breeze, calming him even though he knew the car was going to drive like crap the rest of the day.

He pulled out of the pit box and drove down pit road watching his speed. “You got me here. Now you need to get me back with the pack. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

A pit formed in Hazel’s stomach. “Oh…you have got to be kidding me…Isn’t this against the rules or something? Don’t I need to have credentials or a license or something?” she stuttered.

Tony barked out a laugh as he passed the starting line and mashed his accelerator. “I’ll worry about NASCAR. You worry about spotting me, angel.”

Now it was Hazel’s turn to fill the radio with laughter. Hers was quiet, soft, and interspersed between calls of “Rear quarter…still there…still there…clear! Clear!”


	2. Chapter 2

It didn’t take long for another caution to fly and Tony used that time to chat with the woman spotting for him. He tried to find out information about her, but she wouldn’t tell him anything. She kept asking him questions about the car, repeating the questions that his crew chief had asked. Then, when she realized that he was getting overly annoyed by this, she asked him a question that caught him completely off guard. “What calms you, Tony?”

“What?”

“What calms you down? Where do you go to relax, to get away from everything?” she clarified.

“Duh, a race track.”

She keyed up her mike and snorted. Tony thought that was hilarious. What woman would actually _key up_ a microphone to snort so people _could_ hear it? Then she started to talk. She spoke so softly, so calmly, as if she were telling a bedtime story to a child. As she was talking, Tony could visualize what she was saying in his head as if he was there and he felt calm and peaceful… _What was it about her?_ “I think you find it relaxing when you are fishing on a pond. Just you…on a dock…or maybe in a canoe…maybe it’s a small, one person john-boat. You don’t want to row a canoe, I know. So you are out on the pond…it’s as smooth as glass. You can see every ripple a fish makes. You drop your line over, sit back and relax. The sun shines down on you…just the right amount of breeze so it’s not too hot and not too cool. You have a nibble every now and again. Then there is a big bite. You jerk the line. You can feel that this one is a big ‘un. He’s got the right amount of fight. Not so much that he’s gonna break the line, but he’s not a little pansy either. You can feel the muscles in your arms straining and starting to burn and it feels good. Nothing feels as good as when you haul that fish over the side of the boat, though. Knowing that in the age-old competition of man versus nature, this time you won.”

“Damn.” Tony muttered.

“Damn.” his crew chief agreed. “She’s good.”

“The only thing that would make that fantasy better is if I looked at the other end of the boat and saw you, angel.” Tony said. “Tell me, would you be there? Would I see you?”

“Ha!” she laughed. “Trust you in the middle of a pond? That’s a good way to end up going swimming.” she teased.

Tony laughed with her. “True, true. But I still wish I would see you there.” he said quietly before asking, “If fishing isn’t your fantasy, what is?”

Hazel looked around and realized that the race was mostly done. Tony was running close to the back. She had kept him calm and out of trouble. She’d forgotten all about her real life for those hours and been someone else, lived a different life. With a tiny smile gracing her face she said, “I’ve lived my fantasy. I’ve been Cinderella, here at the ball. The shoe fell into my lap and I will return it at the end of the night. You’ve been my Prince Charming, an absolute fairy tale.” She had to blink back tears.

Tony sat up straighter in his car. “Wait a second. That sounds like a goodbye. You can’t disappear…”

Hazel shushed him. “Tony, Tony…Please. You have made this day one that I will always cherish. You cannot imagine what it means to me.”

Tony stared at the back end of the car in front of him and thought hard about what he knew about his substitute spotter. He knew she had a sweet voice and that it calmed him quickly, allowing him to focus in the car. A smirk formed on his face as he thought _why didn’t those headphones fall into her lap sooner? We could be finishing so much higher than 42 nd._ His thumb hovered over the switch ready to key up so he could share his amusing thought when he came to a shocking realization – he didn’t know her name. Every time he had asked her questions, she had dodged him and turned the conversation back to the car. He knew she was aware of him and his likes but she had kept herself a complete mystery. A quick glance at the scoring pylon sent a spike of fear racing down Tony’s spine. It was lap 483. That meant he had 17 laps to find out something, some way to find her…some hint of information…

“So, ‘Rella, how long have you been a Keslowski fan?”

He gripped the wheel and tried not to jerk it as he began to laugh. The shriek that filled his ears was deafening. “WHAT?! What did you say?! What have I done to deserve this, Smoke?” She released the mike and took a breath. “Rear quarter panel. There. There. Clear.”

“And ‘Rella can still focus on her job!” Tony chuckled.

“Ha, Ha. What’s up with this ‘Rella nickname? And as far as that fan question, if his headset had landed in my lap, I wouldn’t have been chatting so nicely.” Tony laughed again. “Ten laps to go.”

Tony gripped the wheel harder. “You gotta give me something, ‘Rella.” he muttered.

Hazel picked up her purse and checked around her seat to make sure nothing was left behind. With an emotional sigh she spoke one more time. “I told you that this has been a fairy tale, an absolute wonderland. This is the part where I leave the fantasy and return to my real life. A real life that is very different than yours. Thank you for today. Thank you for the fantasy. I’m not your type.”

“My type?” he repeated.

“Let’s just say I’m not young, svelte, and blonde. I work for a living. And I am not wearing a Stewart-Haas shirt.” Hazel said before starting down the long set of steps that would lead her out of the grandstands. She kept one eye on the steps and watched the track as well. Her entire walk was filled with cajoling, ranting, and near-begging from the man known as Smoke.

“You cannot leave it there and disappear. You have to give me something, anything!” He smacked the steering wheel as his frustration mounted. Taking a deep breath he tried to speak calmly. “Listen, ‘Rella, I need to see you in person, talk to you face to face…Whatever you think you know about ‘my type’ isn’t the whole story. Talk to me. Give me a few minutes. Who says that this has to end?” He took another deep breath. “Whatever has been going on for the last couple of hours, I want…I need it to continue. I’ll give you a shirt, a hat…Hell, I’ll give you anything you want. Just don’t disappear on me.” She walked through the gate as tears started to well in her eyes. Hastily wiping them away, she looked around and spotted a handful of people who were obviously employees of Stewart-Haas Racing. They were looking at the fans coming out of the stands, looking for her. Reaching up to pull the headset off, she heard his final words. “I will find you. Somehow, some way…”


	3. Chapter 3

Hazel approached one of the Stewart-Haas employees from behind, dropped the headset over his shoulder, and turned to walk away as fast as she could. She only made it a step or two before her wrist was captured and he turned her back around quickly. “You have no idea what you’ve done to the boss, do ya?” Looking at the woman in front of him, Bob Jeffrey realized that she was right in her description. She was totally different that Tony’s usual type but he thought that was a good thing. “You’ve waved the proverbial red flag in front of a charging bull. Tony’s not going to give up until he finds you.” The tears welling in her eyes threw him for a loop. Why would she cry over that news? He knew one of the other people nearby had snapped her picture and he was anxious not to cause a scene. “Will you come with us? He really wants to meet you.” She shook her head and tried to pull away. “Will you tell me your name?” She shook her head again. Bob stepped closer to her. “Look, hon, I promise you, he doesn’t want to hurt you. You just reached him on a level that other people haven’t been able to and never that fast. He’s so full of piss and vinegar…When he’s gone full boar it’s so hard to drag him back. Today should have been hell on Chad and the crew but with you in his ear, Tony was almost pleasant. He wants, hell, we all want to know what it was about you that got through to him.”

Hazel looked at Bob and said, “I’m sorry. I just…I can’t. Tell him I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” Then she turned and wove her way into the crowd.

* * *

 

“Where is she, Bob? Where did she go?” Bob Jeffrey met Tony at the hauler as he was getting out of the car. Chad was right behind him shaking his head signaling that the only thing that was going to calm Tony down was the mystery woman. “I thought you were going to find her?”

Bob held up the headset. “I did.” With those words, Tony slumped back against his car. She was really and truly gone. Bob was here and the woman with the calming voice was nowhere in sight. “I saw her and I talked to her. I tried, Tony. I really did. Short of dragging her here against her will, there wasn’t any way I could bring her over.” He grabbed a hold of Tony’s shoulder. “Something’s up with her, Tony. I got a vibe off her. I mean more than the fact that she started crying and saying she was sorry. This woman…There’s something, man.”

Tony looked at Bob. His spotter was telling him that this woman, the woman that had reached him on such an emotional level…If she needed something he was going to be there for her. Regardless he needed to find her. He pushed off the car. “Tony, we gotta go to the NASCAR hauler.” Chad cautioned.

A thunderous expression crossed Tony’s face. Bob intervened. “The spotters know they owe me. It’s their damn fault my headset got knocked off with that stupid shoving match that happened on the stand. They are keeping her in sight and tracking her to her car. Make your trip fast and we’ll hope they don’t lose her.”

Tony began moving as fast as he could. He went into the hauler to grab the bag that had his change of clothes and headed for the golf cart. Chad hopped on and the pair zoomed across the track to meet with the big wigs. Tony pushed past the other drivers waiting and interrupted Mike Helton’s closed door meeting. “You wanted to see me?”

“You know the procedure. Go wait your turn.”

Tony began peeling out of his fire suit. “I don’t have much time. The more time I am here, the farther away she gets. Here’s what I know; some idiots on the spotter stand decided to act like asses. In the middle of their stupidity, Bob’s headset got knocked off. I have no idea how that happened. All I know is his headset ended up going over the railing and landing in the grandstands. This woman caught the set and was kind enough to spot me the rest of the race. Did a damn fine job, too. She asked about credentials and I blew her off. If there is a fine, level it. I’ll pay it. I don’t care. I just have to find her.” The entire time he was talking, Tony completed his other task. He stripped down to his skivvies and redressed in jeans and a Stewart-Haas t-shirt. After pulling on a pair of Converse sans-socks and slapping a #14 hat on his head, Tony looked at Mike Helton as he scooped up his discarded clothing. “Need anything else? No? Call if you do.”

Tony headed out the door as the other men in the room sat there, nearly speechless. Chad finally spoke up for his driver. “As you can tell, Tony’s in a little…”

“I said what I wanted to say!” Tony hollered.

Mike Helton said, “We got the picture. A lot more than we wanted to, actually. Go help him find this woman. Let us know if we can help. She seemed to calm him down, and a calm Tony Stewart is good for everyone.” Chad nodded and ran out the door, only to find that Tony was gone. His fire suit was sitting on a golf cart and Tony was riding away with Bob.

“He did warn us that the old Tony was coming back.” Chad muttered. “Stripping in front of Helton took serious balls. Damn, Tony. Hope you find her. Someone has to level you out.”


	4. Chapter 4

Hazel weaved and bobbed her way through the crowd. Through the parking lot, past the tents full of vendors selling “less-expensive” merchandise than could be found at the track, past a couple of food trucks, and on to a near-by parking lot where she had been fortunate enough to find a spot to park. Feeling safe, she finally slowed down. There wasn’t any way that he could track her down over here. She would know it if someone were following her because they would stick out like a sore thumb in this area. A quick glance assured her that few people were around and those that were had other things on their minds. Some were in a hurry to join the line of traffic attempting to merge onto the packed highway. Others were firing up grills and setting up cornhole games, preparing to wait-out the traffic. Reaching her car, Hazel popped her trunk open and pulled out her chair and coolers. Slinging her purse into the now empty space, she dropped into the chair with a groan of relief. It felt so good to sit down after standing for so much of the race! She looked at the coolers and then at her feet. The shoes had to come off first. With a relieved sigh, she tossed her shoes into the trunk. She wiped her feet with wet wipes and put her trash into a plastic bag she’d brought with her. Cursing under her breath, she hobbled to her trunk and retrieved her flip-flops. Re-wiping her feet, she finally put her flops on and stretched out in her chair. Glancing around, she started feeling a bit curious. Using her phone, Hazel pulled up Twitter.

“Oh, my…No he…I cannot believe…” She covered her mouth with her hand.

There it was in black and white. In Tony Stewart’s own words. “Rella, Rella, Rella. You know how the fairy tale goes, right?” Two minutes later there was another post. “Prince Charming finds Rella. I will find u. Be ready.” She read all the comments about how sweet this was and how fans were hoping he found her.

Clutching her phone, Hazel contemplated her next move. Should she reply? Shouldn’t she? Hearing a sound, she looked up to see two helicopters flying away from the race track. Feeling brave, she began typing. “How? Flying away. U don’t no anything about her. Looks. Where she is.”

Seconds later, her Twitter pinged with a response. “How little u know about me. Junior Nation? Really? Nu shirt coming soon.” Hazel looked down at her shirt. How did he know? She tapped her phone against her chin before she smacked her forehead. His spotter saw her! It was simple. Hazel bit the knuckle of her index finger as she thought about how she should reply to his tweet. Or should she just stay quiet? Engaging him in conversation was encouraging this…whatever this ‘thing’ is…to continue. And Hazel wanted life to calm down, to be normal and peaceful. She set her phone in the cup holder and opened a cooler, digging out some food. Eating a bit of chicken and fruit salad tasted delicious. Grabbing a bottle of sweet tea, she settled back and looked at the traffic still lined up waiting to get on the highway. She smiled and thought to herself that she was wise to bring her dinner to the track. A pinging sound drew her attention back to her phone. “Oh, Rella…What drew your attention away? I want it.” 

Hazel looked at Tony’s tweet. She looked at her food. With a devilish smile, she tweeted a picture of her dinner and said, “I was hungry.” Her phone hadn’t even touched the chair when it began to ring from an unknown number. “There’s no way…” she murmured aloud before she answered.

“That wasn’t very nice, Rella.” Tony’s voice sounded like he had swallowed sandpaper. She swallowed hard and fumbled to catch the plate that she nearly dropped. “Are you still there?” After her mumbled reply, he continued. “You were a much better conversationalist earlier. And now you have teased me with the thought of food when you know I haven’t eaten anything. Have a little compassion. I really do have a shirt for you.”

“Tony…” she began.

“No pressure. Just a little conversation.”

“How…”

“I am a very motivated man.” She could hear his smirk through the phone. “Don’t let that frighten you. I really just want to talk, to make sure that you aren’t going to disappear forever. I know I’m coming across too strong…Please tell me you understand. You are going to give me a chance, right?” Tony waited for her response. Hearing none, he looked down at his phone and realized that she had hung up on him. His stomach dropped. “Dammit! I pushed too hard. What am I going to do now?” His chin dropped to his chest. Bob slowed the golf cart, having no idea where else to look. An unexpected chime on his phone brought Tony’s head up quickly. Checking his messages, he saw a new message from her number. It was a picture of Daytona race track from her chair, showing the tops of her knees. “That’s how she sees the racetrack right now! Her vantage point, which puts her in…” Tony looked at the picture and put his back to the racetrack. Pointing definitively in one direction, he said, “There! Go now! DRIVE!” Bob wheeled in the direction Tony indicated as another message came through. It was another picture, showing some campers. “Hot damn. Find the campers.” As Bob was driving, Tony called the focus of his chase again. “Hey, Rella. You still have food waiting for me, right?”

“Look, Tony…”

“Don’t back out now, sweetie. I am going to deserve a feast after tracking you down. Bob deserves a meal, too.” he added.

She spoke softly. “I didn’t mean to make this into a chase. I wasn’t playing a game.”

Tony spoke just as seriously as she did. “I know that. I want you to see my face when I tell you that whatever is going on, it’s going to be okay. Believe me. Trust me. I’ve got you.”

“Tony…”

“What’s your name?” he interrupted. Bob swerved the cart, catching sight of the campers from the picture she sent. “You keep saying my name. I don’t have anything to call you except the nickname I gave you. What’s your name?”

“Where did Rella come from anyway?” she asked.

Tony held on as Bob careened the cart around another bend. “You answered another question with a question.” he muttered. “You said that today was like a fairy tale. You were Cinderella, the headset was the glass slipper, the race was the ball, and I was Prince Charming. I cannot actually call you Cinderella. Cindy doesn’t seem to fit. Cinder is just…ew. That leaves Rella. You are my Rella. My fairy tale princess. You appeared out of nowhere and hit me in the solar plexus. You’ve lead me on a merry chase across Daytona. And you’d better feed me when I find you.”

“And who says that Tony Stewart isn’t charming?” Hazel said with a laugh. “More like demanding, overbearing, tyrannical, carnivorous…”

“Yeah, yeah. And I’m moody, obnoxious, stubborn, and opinionated. But I’m not forgetful. Now, what is your name?” he said as he rolled his eyes. Bob slapped Tony’s knee and gestured towards a car towards the end of the next row that had its trunk open. Tony nodded and motioned to slow down.

They circled in front of her car and heard her mocking retort. “If I had seen you face-to-face I would have told you. Instead, I am headed out. It’s been a long day.”

“Tell me about it.” Hazel shrieked as Tony came out from the other side of her car. She jumped to her feet ready to flee but Tony caught hold of both of her wrists. “I told you I would find you. I told you I’d…” He stopped speaking as he took in his first look at the woman who had occupied his thoughts for so much of the day. From the short dark hair on top of her head, to the glasses now perched lopsided on her nose, to the Dale Junior shirt that hung loosely from her shoulders, down to the purple and pink sparkly polish that adorned her toes. Tony knew he was smitten in every sense of the word. He rubbed his thumbs across the backs of her hands. “Hi.” he whispered. “I’m Tony.” Hazel bit back a giggle and squeezed his fingers.

She watched Tony’s eyes change from warm chocolate to cold and hard. His teeth clenched and a muscle along the side of his jaw began jumping. Tony lifted her left hand. His thumb pressed over the ring on her third finger. “What’s this? You’re MARRIED?” He squeezed her hand tightly. Tears welled in Hazel’s eyes. “I can’t believe it. I can’t f’ing believe it!” He dropped both of her hands and turned towards the golf cart that was now parked next to her cooler.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony took two long strides away from the woman before she spoke. He whipped around. “What?!” She hadn’t moved. Her arms were now wrapped around her middle. Tears had welled in her eyes but none had fallen. She straightened her spine, drew back her shoulders and held her head high as she turned to face him. “I am a widow.” she repeated clearly.

Tony opened his mouth and then closed it. She raised both her hands to clear the tears from her eyes. She pulled her purse from the trunk and then tossed the chair inside. When she reached for the cooler, Tony stopped her. “I’m sorry. I was an ass.” he said quietly. She nodded once and tried to lift the cooler again. Tony applied enough pressure to keep it on the ground. “Don’t leave like this.”

“Tony, you have no idea…” she started.

“So talk to me.” he said, shifting so he sat on the cooler and had his hands on her hips. “Tell me what is going on. Make me understand. Start with your name…please.”

She looked at the sky and then at Tony’s face. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she said, “My name is Hazel and I have been a widow for several months now. I just…I know how to mourn, I just don’t know how to take off the ring.” She balled her left hand into a fist and left it resting on his shoulder. “So many people have so many opinions on what is right and what is healthy and how life is supposed to go. It’s my life. It’s my way of grieving, my way of healing. They need to leave me the hell alone and let me do it my way.” Her small fist thumped his shoulder. Tony didn’t flinch. “I decided that I had to get out, to have some time to myself away from everyone who was trying to be helpful so I came here. We, my husband and I, had gone to Sprint Cup races back home for several years but only at that track. I decided that, if I could get tickets to the 500, I would come down on my own. It would be a sign that I was supposed to get out and get on with my life.” She nodded at the cooler he was sitting on. “We always packed food for after the race. He hated sitting in traffic. It would be comparable to sitting in a traffic jam with you for several hours – the bitching, cussing, fussing, whining, and moaning. Life was much easier when we ate in the parking lot and left after traffic funneled out of the way for a while. I figured since that plan worked at home I would do the same thing here. No use sitting in traffic alone. I’d probably end up cussing or crying.”

Tony pulled her close. “I’m glad you were still here, Hazel. If you were sitting in that traffic things would have been so much trickier.” Her hands were now resting closer to his neck. “It’s not an empty platitude when I say I am sorry you lost your husband. That kind of loss is very painful and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. For you to endure it…”

“That is very kind.” she murmured.

Tony pulled her down to sit on one thigh. Resting their heads together he said, “If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I’m not kind. It’s not an ‘out of the kindness of my heart’ thing here.” Hazel started to pull away but Tony kept her anchored where she was. “I am sorry you have experienced such loss. The greedy bastard in me knows that you need time to heal and grieve when I really don’t want to let you go.”

This time Hazel did pull away slightly, enough to look Tony in the eyes and say, “You always say what you think. You don’t pull any punches. I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.”

“If you promise to get back to me on that, I’ll let you hang around.” Tony offered.

Hazel smiled as she managed to get off of Tony’s lap. “I thought you were hungry. You are sitting on the food.”

“Since that’s what you’re offering…” he teased with a waggle of his eyebrows. Hazel reached over and lightly smacked him on his shoulder. Tony easily caught her by her forearm and stood up slowly, watching her expression as he encroached on her personal space. “I suggest taking the cooler back to my coach. Someone around here is bound to recognize me sooner or later.” As soon as Hazel’s eyes started to widen, he grabbed her other elbow and assured her, “Talking, Hazel. Talking. Try to trust me. Just a little.” Letting her go, Tony grabbed the cooler and stuck it on the back of the golf cart. He dropped her purse on the floor in the front of the cart. He did a quick pass around her car making sure it was locked and nothing of value was left in plain sight. Once assured her things were secure, he shut the trunk and gently tugged her along towards the cart. He sat in the passenger seat and pulled her onto his lap, making sure she was facing Bob. Before Hazel could utter a sound, the golf cart was flying towards the track.


	6. Chapter 6

Tony sat the cooler on the floor next to his table and began rooting through the cabinets for some plates. Hazel stood behind him clutching her purse and looking around the exquisite motorhome. The bold combination of black, white, tan, and red matched Tony’s complex personality perfectly. Hazel turned around again slowly. The front windshield was covered by a black curtain. A huge screen hung from the ceiling, Hazel presumed it was either a television or a game console. To her right there were wooden cabinets and a black leather sofa with red armrests. To her left there were individual black leather chairs with wooden circular bases. There were matching footstools and wooden snack trays as well. On both sides, the windows were covered with white shades and framed with red trim. A skylight provided enough light for now but Hazel could see many lights recessed into the ceiling. She thought they would probably resemble stars in the night sky when they were turned on. Noticing the floor, Hazel couldn’t help but smile.

“See something you like?” Tony asked. Hazel tucked her head, feeling embarrassed that he had caught her looking so hard at his accommodations. He had watched her perusal of his home away from home and couldn’t help but feel nervous as he awaited hearing her opinion. Tony snagged her hand and tossed her purse onto one of the chairs. “Hazel?” He kept his hold on her hand and used his other to gently tilt her chin up. “What brought a smile to that pretty face?”

A fleeting grin flew across her face as she whispered, “Of course Tony Stewart’s floor is in a black and white checkered flag pattern. Always racing…has to finish first.”

Tony pulled her into a light and friendly hug, chuckling into her hair. “I do want that checkered flag.” The other thoughts that were racing through his mind were not appropriate to say to a widow and Tony was amazed that he had enough of a filter engaged that they didn’t come out of his mouth. But the temptation, oh, the temptation… He took a step away from her and smoothed his hands down her arms. “So I have the food over here by the table. I know you already ate some but can we eat together?” Hazel agreed and sat down at the granite table in his dining area.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You can’t be serious!”

“I shit you not.”

“No way.”

“Yes, way.”

“Let me just say that I can abso-freakin-lutely love any woman that says ‘I shit you not’ the way you just did.” Tony said as he pointed at Hazel from his reclined position on one end of the sofa.

From the other end, Hazel pointed right back at him. “Listen here, buck-a-roo. I have two teenage sons at home. You think you can do something those two haven’t already tried? Pi-shaw. I’ve seen it all at this point.”

“Buck-a-roo?” Tony howled. “You are an original, Hazel.” He held his belly as he rolled forward in laughter.

“Broke the mold with me.” Hazel smirked. Tony was still laughing so hard he rolled off the sofa. He was kneeling on the floor next to her knees with tears in his eyes. Trying to calm down, Tony took a couple of deep breaths and placed his hand on her knee. Hazel covered his hand with her own, which is when they both froze and stared into each other’s eyes. Neither moved for what seemed like hours. Tony flexed his fingers, causing his index finger to slide up and down almost caressing her inner thigh. Her breath hitched so he repeated the motion. She was breathing more rapidly but wasn’t stopping him; she was holding on to his hand firmly. Knowing he was taking a risk, he moved the hand on her knee up fractionally as he tried to shift his body closer. When whispered, “Tony,” and leaned forward, he froze. She touched her forehead to his. Her nose touched his briefly. When she spoke her breath ghosted across his face. “Why do I feel this connection to you? How have you gotten through all of my barriers…And so easily?” Her other hand was now toying with the hair at the base of his neck. “It’s been so long…I feel so much…You make me want…Why do I need…Tony…” When she sighed his name, Tony was lost. He captured her mouth with his own, rising up to press her back into the sofa as he struck his claim. This wasn’t a tentative first kiss. This was a hang-the-hell-on-because-tonight-you-are-mine-tonsil-hockey kiss. This was kiss that would make a sailor blush. Hazel felt this kiss all the way down in her toes. The bottoms of her feet literally tingled. Tony managed to keep one hand on the back of her head and the other locked on her hip. His hands hadn’t wandered anywhere else when the kiss ended and they were looking into each other’s eyes.

He gave her time to change her mind. He didn’t ask her, he wasn’t strong enough for that. But wordlessly he gave her a chance to walk away. Since she stayed, Tony pulled her up close and slid his hands underneath the Junior tee that she had been wearing all day. “I have been wanting to do this since I first saw you.” he whispered just before yanking the shirt off of her body. As soon as he saw her breasts, he buried his face right between them. Hazel buried her hands in his hair, holding him close. Tony groaned in pleasure. He wrapped his arms around her middle and prepared to stand straight up. Realizing this, Hazel began to wrap her legs around his waist. Before long, Tony had Hazel in his arms with his head cradled to her chest as he walked down the hall to his bedroom. Once there he carefully situated them both on the bed so he was laying partially over her. Discarding her bra, he continued to fondle her breasts as he made his way to the waistband of her jeans. After popping the button and sliding the zipper down, he stopped. Hazel understood that Tony was giving her one final opportunity so she reached for his shirt and started pulling it up. She heard it rip as Tony tore it over his head and threw it over his shoulder. He jerked his pants off with the same complete disregard and then reached for hers, sliding them down her legs slowly and letting his palms glide down with the material. Hazel watched his nostrils flare and thought that he probably resembled a mythical fire-breathing dragon. Then he was back and between her legs, the hair on his thighs tickling her own. Hazel returned her hands to Tony’s hair and kissed him with all of the latent passion that had built up. She felt a familiar yet foreign sensation…Then…Tony was there. All she felt was Tony. Above her. Beside her. Inside her. She screamed with the sensation. She was delirious. She wept with joy. She convulsed in an orgasmic high that she hadn’t achieved in forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are of the opinion that I just rushed this - bear with me. There is a reason for Hazel's behavior and a crumb was left in the chapter. It will become clear later on...


	7. Chapter 7

It sounded like someone had an unbalanced washing machine in her bedroom. Maybe it was a defunct lawn mower. Something had to be broken. Hazel began to take stock of her surroundings and realized that the sound that woke her up was actually a snore coming from a soundly-sleeping Tony who was stretched out on his back beside her. His arm was flung out wide across the bed and lying on her hip. Carefully maneuvering out from under his wingspan, Hazel got out of bed and tip-toed around the room. She listened for any changes in his breathing and heard none. As she looked for her clothes, she remembered that he had nearly destroyed her Dale Junior shirt so she picked up one of the shirts she saw on his floor. It didn’t smell too bad so she put it on. _It will remind me of him more if it has his scent anyway, right?_ she thought. She continued her tip-toe trek down the hall to gather her flip-flops and purse. Hazel knew Tony had her phone number but she didn’t think she left him any other way to find her. _No last name. No place of employment. I didn’t talk about my tragedies. Nothing identifiable. Just the end of a fairy tale…_ Sparing one look back at the man sleeping at the end of the hall, Hazel left the coach and started her long walk back to her car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes into her walk, the now familiar sound of an approaching golf cart sent a feeling of apprehension through Hazel. Then a female voice spoke with a quiet but hard edge. “Tell me I am not going to be holding Smoke through a broken heart.” She turned and faced DeLana Harvick with a sad shrug of her shoulders. Patting the seat beside her, DeLana said, “Ride with me.”

“I have to leave.”

DeLana nodded. “Just explain why so I can explain it to him.” Hazel sat down beside the other woman and pointed towards the parking lot she needed to get to. Not too many seconds later she grabbed Hazel’s left hand and said, “You’re married? No wonder…”

“Widowed. Tony knows I am widowed.” Hazel looked at DeLana as tears welled up in her eyes. “I loved my husband very much. Very, very much. I have mourned and grieved for him. But I am alive. I have to figure out how to live and that is hard. Everyone is different…” She dashed the tears that were starting to pour down her cheeks away. “This was supposed to be a stress-free weekend away from the shit at home. Instead I met a man who made me feel again, who made me wish I had been able to take this ring off sooner…That all this mess was over already.” The tears were coming fast and furious now. “How can I feel so damn connected to him? What is it about that man? Really?” Hazel smacked the dashboard of the golf cart.

“Why don’t you talk to Tony? Don’t leave.” DeLana asked.

Hazel harrumphed. “Because if I try to talk to Tony he will A – try to talk me in to staying, or B – tell me that he will “fix” things back home, or most likely C – take it as a compliment and we’ll have more ovary-popping sex.”

DeLana snorted in laughter. “That’s Tony for sure.” She reached over to pat Hazel on her knee. “He has a huge heart and you’ve got part of it. That was evident on the radio; something clicked. You can’t just disappear on him. It will devastate him. Please.”

They reached Hazel’s car. Hazel turned to DeLana and said, “Tell Tony that I made a promise. I promise that I will come to my home track when life has calmed down. He doesn’t need to be part of this…Focus on racing and winning. Tell him I will be watching.” DeLana sat on the golf cart and watched Hazel drive away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What do you mean you took her to her car?! If you are my friend you would have kept her here! Or woken me up so I could keep her here!” DeLana and Kevin Harvick were both on Tony’s coach as the broken-hearted man ranted. He sat in the same spot where he had first kissed Hazel wearing only his boxers, running his hands through his disheveled hair. Tony looked _rough_.

“Come on, man. DeLana is trying to tell you what she said. Give her a chance. Listen.” Kevin tried.

“What the hell difference does it make?!” Tony roared. “Hazel is GONE! G-O-N-E, GONE!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hazel raced in to her hotel room and tossed her belongings into her checked baggage suitcase. No time to sort things out. She gave the room a quick once-over to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and headed back out the door. She made it to the airport, turned in the car, went through the TSA screening, and arrived at the correct gate with 20 minutes to spare. Too close for comfort when dealing with an airline. She sat in a chair and looked at her phone. She had several messages from Tony.

_Where are you?_

~~~~~~~

_I miss you._

~~~~~~~

_I don’t understand. What did I do wrong?_

As she read the last message she knew that DeLana and Tony had talked. She realized that she had hurt him badly and may have lost her second true love.

_You ran and I chased you down once. We had a good thing and you knew that. You ran anyway. Don’t think I am going to chase after you again. It will not happen._

Two tears escaped Hazel’s eyes. A hurt and stubborn Tony was a dangerous man.  She touched her phone to her forehead and prayed for strength as she heard her flight called. Quickly tapping out a message, she hit send and boarded her plane.

_Tony, I only wish I had the words to explain. Maybe someday. I am sorry._

_Yours, Rella_


	8. Chapter 8

“Come on, boys. You need to clean your rooms.” Hazel was once again requesting her sons to get off their X-Boxes and help around the house.

“Busy, Mom”

“Not now, Mom.”

“Guys, I need some help here.” she tried again. Laundry baskets with clean clothes sat in their doorways. Dirty clothes were strewn about near their hampers. “Can you put your clothes away?” Her oldest waved one hand at the doorway as if he was shooing her away. Hazel shook her head and turned the vacuum on to clean the hallway.

Backing away from her boys’ rooms as she vacuumed the carpet, Hazel tried to keep her eyes on the floor. She focused on cleaning along the baseboards and in the corners, finding all the dustbunnies. No matter how hard she tried, as she backed her way into the living room the memories still assailed her. _She_ wasn’t the only one. _She_ was the reason. _Her_. He chose _her_. He chose _her_ over his family. Over life. Hazel pushed the vacuum fiercely. The memories closed in on her fast and furiously now. The times she had wondered if it was possible that her husband of so many years and the father of her children was possibly cheating on her. He was volunteering for extra shifts, acting secretive… She loved him so much. This was her family. She fought for her family, she loved her family. Hazel sat down on the sofa with the vacuum between her knees. She leaned her head against the handle and remembered the day that his personal effects were delivered to the house. _Her_ picture in his wallet. Texts to _her_ on his phone. Texts from _her_ detailing things they had done together.

Hazel turned off the vacuum and stared at her wedding ring. Her husband hadn’t honored his vow to forsake all others. He had been cheating on her for months while she had been trying to figure out how to save their union and add spice back into their marriage. He wasn’t happy, he’d had one foot out the door and wanted to leave with the other woman but didn’t want to tell her. Why was she holding on to his memory, to his ring? Wasn’t it time to let this go?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday afternoon, Hazel sat on her sofa having lost her internal debate with herself. Should she watch the Atlanta Nascar race or not watch? Unable to help herself, she turned on the television. Tony was starting 39th thanks to owner points. Seriously? What in the world happened this week? She checked his Twitter page.

I don't know what to say about today. Spent all of our practice working  
 on qualifying. Didn't even get a chance to make a lap.   
Frustrating!

~~~~~~~~~

If we would have known this was going to happen, we could have  
 worked on the race setup. Was a total waste of a day at the track.

Investigating further, she saw that Kevin had an engine failure and was starting 43rd instead of second. “Oh, poor DeLana.” Hazel thought for a few seconds. DeLana had been nice to her, given her a ride to her car, and had listened to her. She didn’t seem to judge or overly pressure her even though she was Tony’s friend. Maybe she should…It wouldn’t hurt if she let DeLana know that she was thinking of her, would it? Tapping out a quick message, she set her phone on the table and to watch the race. Her fingers tapped nervously as she heard a responding _ding_ alerting her that DeLana had responded to her tweet. “Suck it up, Hazel. You sent the message. Read what she said in response.” Checking Twitter, she read:

So sweet! U are missed by many. No horseshoe, glass slipper is  
 firmly wedged in place. Can U remove?

Hazel understood exactly what DeLana was saying. She pressed the heel of her hand to her chest as her heart began to ache. Her time with Tony was special, a fantasy time that made her forget the pain and heartache of real life. That afternoon, that evening, that night Hazel felt like she was special, like she was worthy of being someone’s one and only. Back here, in the cold light of day she realize the truth – She hadn’t been woman enough to keep her husband’s interest. How would she keep the interest of someone like Tony Stewart? He had so many women around him… Her time as Cinderella was best left in the past. A memory to sustain her through the cold hard nights that lay ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mom! Door!” Hazel pulled herself up off of the bathroom floor she had been scrubbing and headed for the living room.

Waiting just inside the door, inside her house, was a man in a suit. Hazel didn’t recognize this man, but she knew his kind. She’d seen them enough in the last few months. “Mrs. Taylor, I am so sorry for your loss. Your husband was a hero, a man who served his community and the citizens of this state with great dedication and self-sacrifice. It is in that same spirit that I must ask you to please consider our request to testify at the trial…” Hazel heard the words as the room began to spin. It was one thing to know the request was coming. It was quite another to hear it in her own living room. Nothing she had done had prepared her. Nothing at all.

“I…I…I need some time.” she stuttered.

The man handed her a packet. “Completely understand. Get back to us as soon as you can.” Hazel watched as he walked out her door, down her steps, and climbed into the backseat of an extended Lincoln town car.

As the car disappeared from sight, her sons appeared at her side. “You are going to testify, aren’t you?”  “You aren’t going to let that bastard get away with it, are you?” “Dad’s dead. You can’t still be mad at him. You can’t argue with a dead man.” “Come on, Mom!” “Suck it up. You tell us we can’t wallow in grief forever. What are you doing?”


	9. Chapter 9

It took DeLana three weeks to find what she wanted. Three weeks of Kevin, Chad, and Bob making sure Tony didn’t do something stupid…like hook up with a pit lizard. Three weeks after Hazel disappeared from Daytona, DeLana arrived at the Stewart-Haas racing shop hell bent on talking to Tony. “He’s in a team meeting and can’t be bothered.” a secretary informed her.

DeLana pushed past her and stormed in. “DeLana! We are in the middle of a meeting!” Tony was not happy. DeLana rounded the table and slapped some papers she had printed from the internet in front of him.

“I found her.” she said.

“Who?”

“I found _her_.” DeLana repeated. “I know where she is and why she disappeared. She did it to protect you, you ass!” Tony looked at her dumfounded. “Her life is a three-ring circus right now and she didn’t want to throw you in the middle of all that. She was trying to protect you! If anyone knew she was with Tony Stewart, the media attention she’s under would intensify and so would the crap that goes on around you.” DeLana smacked the papers again. “The woman is a damn saint. She needs a halo and a knight on a white horse. Not some hack who sits around throwing pity parties. You are such a damn fool.”

DeLana stalked towards the door. “Wait!” She looked over her shoulder. “What’s the big crisis she’s got going on that the media is so interested in?” Tony asked.

Shaking her head at him DeLana said, “Her husband was a fire fighter killed in the line of duty.” The room was absolutely silent as DeLana ranted in Tony’s face. “Your precious Rella lost her husband in a fire caused by arson. He and his co-workers saved two children in that fire. He stayed behind because someone signaled that they were in trouble. He was trapped and died, Tony. He **died** …BURNED to DEATH in a FIRE, Tony. He is called a hero. A hero who died saving other people’s lives.”

“Oh.” Tony said.

DeLana stomped back over to him and slapped the table again. “That’s all you can say? OH! She lost her husband and all she hears is how he is a hero. Hero. Hero. Hero. Do you think that helps her? Do you think that is what she wants to hear? And now the trial is taking place. She gets to hear all the nasty little details day in and day out. She doesn’t have you to lean on. You haven’t even sent her a text. Don’t you ‘oh’ me mister!” DeLana stormed out and slammed the door.

Tony picked up the papers. “I didn’t know. She said she was a widow. I didn’t know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hazel sat on her bed, holding her pillow to her chest tightly. She’d had yet another argument with her mother. Her mom wanted her to bring the kids and stay there for a week, back in her old hometown. Hazel knew that there were reporters chomping at the bit hoping for an exclusive with the widow of the hero firefighter, some of whom were friends with her parents. She knew her best bet was to avoid the area so she didn’t offend her mother by saying ‘hell no’ to the interview requests. Then there were her children who were still pressing her to testify at the trial. Even though she had assured them that she would not only testify but she would also give a victim impact statement, they were sure she was going to back out. Her husband’s parents wanted alone time with the kids, something she really didn’t want to do. They didn’t need to idolize their father any more than they already did.

Hazel knew that there were people who knew about the affair, people that had covered up for the two of them and helped them with their lies. She didn’t think the boys knew. She didn’t think either of their parents knew. Outside of that… Who could she trust? The neighbors who brought dinner over last night? Did they know? They were so compassionate but that could be a cover-up. His sister? Did she know? Hazel realized would drive herself crazy with the speculation. The best thing she could do was hold her head high and go on with her life… Right?

She slammed the pillow down on the bed. Three weeks ago she had taken the step of going to Daytona and having a weekend away from all of the drama she called her life. That fantasy was what she dreamt of every night. She didn’t dream of her husband…but the day she had as Tony Stewart’s spotter. And the night she spent in his arms. Hazel jumped up from her bed and began to pace her bedroom. New questions raced around her mind. What would have happened if she hadn’t left Tony’s bed the next morning? What if she had stayed in Daytona? What if she had told Tony or DeLana where she was from? What if…

“Stop playing the What If game, Hazel. You are too old for that.” she said to herself. “Your husband was a cheating bastard. The world thinks he was a hero for trying to save his lover. You had a one night stand with Tony Stewart. This is your life. Deal with it.” She walked into the bathroom and stared at her reflection. “You are no Cinderella. This isn’t a fairy tale. There won’t be a Prince Charming on a white horse coming to your rescue. It is time to put on your big girl panties and act like you are a woman who can actually fill her own bra cup. Sheesh, woman! How old are you, anyway?” 


	10. Chapter 10

Tony sat on a plane bound for California next to Kevin Harvick. His fingers were tapping a static rhythm on his knee. As soon as the pilot removed the seatbelt sign, Tony was up and pacing the small aisle. Kevin leaned against the window and watched his friend’s turmoil quietly for a while. “I let her go, Kevin. I let her leave. Hazel was with me, right there by my side and I let her go. I could have stopped her. DeLana caught up with her so I could have. DeLana found her, so I could have. I didn’t look. She has to think I don’t care. Dammit! What fresh hell is she in all by herself when I could have been with her? How in the hell is she going to believe that I want to make this work when I leave her alone to deal with those flesh-eating vultures? My God, Kevin, what have I done?” Tony flopped back into his chair and stared at the ceiling. His eyes were bloodshot. He hadn’t shaved in days. Instead of his normal scruff, he looked horrible – unkempt.

Kevin could tell that this was hitting Tony harder emotionally than any of them had realized and that was before DeLana’s unexpected reveal the afternoon before. “Tony, man, you need to listen to me.” Kevin reached out and grabbed Tony’s hands. He was really uncomfortable with this, but Tony was a good friend. “Are you listening?” Tony finally made eye contact and gave him one sullen nod. “You did not **let** her go. She left by her own choice. You know this. Don’t try to twist the past and make yourself the bad guy. You aren’t a martyr. You suck at that role.” Tony’s snort let Kevin know that he was paying attention. “You have a huge heart. It hurts right now because you know that _she_ hurts. Hazel is in pain so you hurt for her. I get that. If DeLana was hurting and I couldn’t be with her that would totally suck. But you **can’t** go to her right now. You have to be in Calli, you have obligations that you have to meet.” Tony started to argue but Kevin cut him off. “You are a Nascar owner and driver. You have to be here, mentally and physically.” Tony shook his head to deny Kevin’s statement. “You know I am right. That means you need to pull your head out of your ass and find that legendary Stewart focus.” Tony lasered his gaze on Kevin. “Exactly. What is it that needs to be done in Calli? You’ve run like shit in Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. What do you need to do to turn this slide around? Get that in gear. How can you let Hazel know that you are thinking of her and not dicking around? She needs to know. Get creative, Smoke. Give her something to latch on to. Whatever is going on, she told Dee she would be watching.” Kevin let go of his friend and leaned back in his chair. He didn’t cower under Tony’s constant stare, knowing that he probably wasn’t seeing him anymore. Minutes passed. Tony didn’t blink.

Tony shot out of his chair and paced like a madman. “Holy Shit! Not one freakin’ person has connected ‘Rella’ from Daytona to Hazel. Not one of those carcass-sniffing vultures. If she is watching, I can play that angle. I can talk to Rella, plead with Rella to return and help Bob and Chad keep me calm on the radio. She doesn’t have to be the spotter again because Bob does great with that, but just be the voice that calms me. You’re right, I’ve sucked the all four of the races this year. Daytona was different because she was there. Yeah, we finished 42nd, but I wasn’t an ass to the crew. They said I was responsive and someone they liked working on the car for. Hell, that’s what I want every week! I need to use the media to beg her to come back where she belongs. The proof is in the pudding… I need her.”

Kevin laughed. “Take a breath, Tony. Don’t say or post anything yet. Write everything down first. Have your publicist” Tony whirled and glared at Kevin “or Dee look at what you are thinking about. Just to have someone else’s eyes on it first. You know what you want to say and I’ll know what you want to say but sometimes what we mean doesn’t come across.”

“When the hell did you become so smart?”

“How many times has DeLana smacked me up beside the head?” Kevin replied with a raised eyebrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mom! Phone!” Hazel was in her garden, working the dirt over so she would be able to plant her early vegetables as soon as the danger of frost was past. Wiping her gloved hand across her forehead, she sighed and rolled her eyes. Pushing herself to her feet she headed for the house.

“You look tired, Mom.” her oldest son said. “Why don’t you take a break for a little while?”

“There’s a lot that needs to be done.” she said as she reached for the phone. “Hello.”

“Do you know how many Hazel’s there are in your state?” the female voice on the line sounded familiar.

“Excuse me?”

“Hazel, it’s DeLana. I have been looking all over for you since I forgot to get your number when you left Daytona and _someone_ was too much of a grumpy-ass bear for me to approach to ask for it. Be that as it may, I found you.” DeLana sounded rather chipper. Too chipper for Hazel’s peace of mind.

“Listen, DeLana, I appreciate all of the effort that you have gone through but…” she said softly.

“But nothing. I am simply calling to check in with you. What is between you and Tony is between the two of you. If you two work things out, that’s between you. I met _you_ and I wanted to talk to _you_. I kinda thought you did to when you reached out on Twitter. Was I wrong?”

“No… No… I just… Things are… I don’t know… I feel so…” Hazel sat on her back deck and leaned against the side of her house. “There is so much shit going on right now. I am trying to make the right choices and I keep second guessing myself at every turn. I just wish someone would stand in my corner and tell me I am not a screw-up. That I am doing okay.” Tears began to well in her eyes.

DeLana could hear the exhaustion in the other woman’s voice. She knew she had to tread carefully. “Do you remember what you said to me as you were leaving Daytona?” Hazel sniffled. “I told you that you should talk to Tony about what was going on in your life. You told me you couldn’t because he would try to talk you into staying, you would have more, um, ‘ovary-popping sex’ – fyi something I don’t **_EVER_** want to hear about Tony Stewart again in this lifetime – or he would try to fix things back home for you. I think of those three options, you were most fearful that he would try to help you and, knowing Tony, that is exactly what he would have tried to do.” Hazel sniffled again. “Honey, he knows how your husband died. He knows about the fire and the fact that the man is being called a hero.” There was silence on the line. DeLana waited for some sort of reaction but nothing came. “I think there is a bit more to the story than the public knows. Something that is tearing you apart. A reason that you and Tony happened so fast.” Now DeLana heard the sound of quiet weeping. “Hazel, you have to know that you aren’t alone. Whatever is going on, you have people who care. Please don’t do this alone.”

“How can anyone speak ill of the hero who gave his life to save…” Hazel began to speak but her tears choked her off.

“If you don’t tell someone, it’s going to eat you from the inside out. It’s poison inside you. You have to let it out, sweetie.” DeLana spoke with as much comfort and compassion as she could invoke in her voice. “And you have to talk to Tony before he inadvertently puts his foot into this and makes it worse. I’m telling you, that man is coming after you. He wants you, Hazel. You touched something inside him that I’ve never seen before. My comment about having a glass slipper wedged in his ass and could you take it out? Remember that? Don’t bother trying. The man has it close to his heart.”

Hazel couldn’t stop the tears that were streaking down her face. “Dee, I have to go.”

“Just a second. Get a pen and paper first.” Before they hung up, DeLana made sure Hazel had all of the Harvick’s contact information and gave her Chad Johnston and Bob Jeffrey’s for good measure. “I know you won’t call them, but keep them anyway. You never know what could happen in the future.”

“Don’t try to scare me.” Hazel warned. “What will be will be.” Hanging up, she closed her eyes and drew in a few deep breaths. “We’ll be okay.” she said to herself. She put the phone and the numbers in the kitchen and headed back to the garden. As she approached, she was surprised to find both of her sons working over the dirt on their hands and knees.

When she reached the corner of the plot, her oldest’s words stopped her cold. “We didn’t think you knew. We thought you pushed him away… You didn’t care.” Tears sprang to her eyes.

They raced down her cheeks as her youngest said, “Mom, you are making yourself sick because of what he did.”

“Don’t let what Dad did tear us apart.” Her sons looked up at her with tears in their own eyes. Hazel opened her arms to her boys who toppled her to the ground as they rushed into her hug. “We are going to help out more. You aren’t alone. We are a family; the three of us can do this.” “He was going to leave us anyway.” “No one has to know that.” “We are survivors. We are heroes, too. We can stand tall through anything.” “We were afraid that you were going to let the man who set the fire…”

Hazel pulled away and cradled the faces of both of her boys. “Know this. Hear me now. I loved your father and he loved me – at one time we loved each other. Remember the happy times. It is because of those times that I am going to testify. It is those times that I am going to talk about when I speak of when I say we will miss him. When I say that I will miss my husband and you will miss your father that is the man that I know we will miss because we do. I mourn and grieve that loss. I fought for that because we, our family, deserve that and we still do.”

“You deserve someone to love and respect you. We should respect and help more.” her oldest muttered as he stood up and wiped off his pants. “And Mom… You aren’t a screw-up.”

“Don’t second guess yourself.” her youngest whispered. “We need you.”


	11. Chapter 11

Reflecting on the conversation she’d had with DeLana, Hazel decided to end her Twitter silence. She posted a picture of her kitchen table covered in cheesesteaks and toppings. Feeding two teenage boys was no small feat and they both had their own favorite palettes. She had bowls of lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, freshly crumbled bacon bits, sautéed onions, homemade pickles, and relish spread across the table along with five bare sandwiches just waiting to be prepared. Once she tweeted the picture, she and the boys sat down to watch qualifying from California. No sooner had her behind hit the chair than her phone rang with her first alert.

**_Way to catch someone’s attention! Heart and stomach are attached! :P_ **

“Who was that, Mom?”

Hazel smiled. “A friend.”

Her son checked his Twitter quickly. “DELANA HARVICK COMMENTED ON YOUR TWITTER?! Whose attention did you catch? What is she talking about, Mom?” Hazel started to blush. “Mmoooommmmmmm? Care to share?”

“Not really. Just met some new friends. No big deal.” she said with a small smile.

Her phone dinged again, signaling another tweeted response. “TONY STEWART?!”

**_Can’t eat until obligations over and U do this? Bring me some!!!!_ **

“Are you going to answer him, Mom?” her younger son asked.

“Why would she do that?” her oldest asked. “What’s she going to say? ‘Sure, Tony. I’ll bring you cheesesteaks to the Auto Club Speedway in California.’ Better yet, why doesn’t she just invite him here for dinner? What a dufus.” He rolled his eyes and took a bite of his sandwich.

Hazel listened to her boys argue about who was a dufus and who was an idiot as she smiled blissfully at the television, lost in the memory of another twitter picture of food. Her trip down memory lane was interrupted as Kevin Harvick was being interviewed prior to the qualifying go-round. He was leaning against his car with the microphone shoved in his face when Tony suddenly appeared at his side, shit-eating grin plastered on his face. Throwing his arm up onto Kevin’s shoulder, Tony leaned in and grabbed the mike. Kevin raised an eyebrow and said nothing. Tony began, “Just need a second. Rella, I know you are out there. Sweetheart, you have no idea how much I need you to calm my ass down. So if you could kindly put your sandwich down and get to the racetrack it would be much appreciated.” With a pat on Kevin’s shoulder he winked at the camera and said “Kisses!” as he tossed the microphone back at the interviewer. Kevin simply shrugged like nothing weird had happened and continued answering the question that he had been asked.

Hazel’s sandwich dropped to her plate as her mouth hung open wide. “Um, Mom? I think you should explain now.”

“Yeah, Mom.” She heard the laughter in her sons’ voices.

“You’ve been keeping secrets. Who is Rella? And how did you meet Tony Stewart?”

“He is talking to you, isn’t he?”

“This is so embarrassing.” Hazel muttered.

“No, it isn’t. Our mother has been rubbing elbows with Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick. That is so COOL!”

“It’s not like that.” Hazel denied. “Alright guys, I’m only going to say this once. Are you ready?” Both boys nodded with their eyes open wide. “Did you pay any attention to the Daytona 500? Good. Did you listen at all to Tony Stewart?”

“A little. Kyle wasn’t in the race, so I didn’t pay that much attention.” her oldest said honestly. “I know that something happened to his spotter.”

“Junior did really good.” her youngest said with a smile.

Rolling her eyes Hazel continued. “I know Junior did good. But this isn’t about Junior. This is about me sitting in the grandstands when a set of headphones landed in my lap and I heard Tony shouting through them. I talked him onto pit road. Turns out there was a shoving match on the spotter stand and his spotter’s headset had been knocked off his head and over the rail. Tony found my voice to be soothing and my demeanor calming. I did a pretty good job of spotting him, too. I just never gave him my name. I told him that the day was like a fairy tale – the race was like the ball, the headset was the glass slipper, and he had been Prince Charming. I had my time in fairy tale land and I was going to return to reality.”

“So Tony Stewart didn’t like that and decided that our mother was his Cinderella and he is going to chase you down? Unbelievable!”

“Tell me about it! I was eating dinner in the parking lot…”

“The way we always do after the race?”

“Exactly. So I was sitting there with my feet propped up on a cooler when…”

“Where did you get a cooler? And food?”

“I bought an inexpensive cooler. I bought fried chicken and I made that fruit salad that is really easy. Do you have enough details now?” Hazel asked in slight exasperation.

“You made the Cool Whip salad without us?”

“That would be what you take away from this story, wouldn’t it?” Hazel muttered. “Anyway, as I was eating Tony appeared. That’s how he knows my name is Hazel and that your father died. DeLana Harvick and I met later. She encouraged me to talk to him about the other stuff, but I don’t want Tony to show up at the court house or for the media to figure out that the woman in Daytona and the hero fire fighter’s widow are the same person.”

The boys looked at her quietly. “I agree with DeLana. You need to talk to Tony, Mom. He just went in front of the racing world and asked for Rella to quote ‘calm his ass down’. And you can’t fuss about my language, I was quoting Tony Stewart.”


	12. Chapter 12

Just as Hazel anticipated, her phone began ringing within 20 minutes of the end of qualifying. “I don’t see my cheesesteak.”

“Well, hello to you.” she said with a smile.

She heard the door close on Tony’s coach. “I missed you.” he said softly. “Tell me how to fix this.”

“Oh, Tony. Who says there’s something to fix?”

“You aren’t here. That means I did something wrong and I need to fix it. Tell me what to do so you can come back. Please.” Hazel was dismayed by the pain in Tony’s voice.

She sat at the kitchen table propping her head up with one hand. “Tony, please believe me when I say it is me, not you. There is just so much that you don’t know.”

From the corner of her eye she saw one of her kids enter the room. “Hey Mom. Is that Tony? Did you tell him that we said we were siding with him? It’s four on one; DeLana, Tony, Joey, and John agree that you need to sit down and talk with Tony. Give the man a chance.” Her turn-coat child grabbed his drink and high-tailed it out of the kitchen.

“So, Hazel, I take it you have a couple of kids as well.” There was humor in Tony’s voice as he made the statement.

“I have two teenage sons.” She ran her hands through her hair. “And as you heard, they think the world of you. There’s just… Um… This week has been very emotional for us. Things have been rough and we had a lot of breakthroughs and discussions. The end result for you is today you ended up with both of my boys saying that you took a huge risk in front of the cameras for me and the least I could do would be to talk to you and tell you what’s been going on.”

“I don’t want anyone pressuring you, Hazel.” Tony said seriously.

“It’s not like that.” she assured him. “They really aren’t pressuring me. I’ve been protecting them for so long, or at least trying to… And they have been defensive, thinking that I didn’t know or was blind to a few home truths. We’ve worked through that together. Between that and talking about Cinderella, I think we are closer than we’ve been in months. By the way, they thought the whole Rella situation was so amazing and funny.”

She heard rustling as Tony was either getting rid of his fire suit or sitting on the sofa. Hazel wasn’t going to ask. “Back up… You are jumping ahead too fast. You have two teenage sons. I got that part. That matches up with being married for a while. Fine. Now, what have you been protecting them from? What did they think you were blind to? I think you are glossing over some pretty significant things here, sweetheart.” Hazel’s heart leapt at Tony’s term of endearment. “Talk to me. I need to understand what I am battling against.”

“You aren’t battling against anything, Tony.” she sighed. “There is a trial coming up and I am going to have to testify. There is going to be a lot of media involved and I don’t want you around for it. This is going to be tough enough without ‘Oh my God, it’s Tony Stewart’ added to it.” Tony couldn’t help but smile when Hazel shrieked like a banshee, mimicking the fangirls he saw at the track every weekend. “Giving an impact statement, talking about how this loss affected our life, this is going to be hard. The kids and I talked about it.”

Tony spoke carefully. “I still feel like I am missing a significant piece.”

“Yes. But we are coping with it. Know that my boys and I have talked through it and I’ll tell you about it at some point. What matters is that we are okay now.”

“What about us? You and me?”

Hazel picked at her table cloth. “I was told that you no longer have room for the lucky horseshoe because you have a glass slipper firmly wedged in your ass. Is that really the case?”

“You are my good luck charm. You are what I need.” Tony muttered softly. It almost sounded as if it pained him to admit that it was true. “I really wish you were here.” Hazel was quiet. “Can’t you say something?”

She whispered, “I wish I was there, too. But Tony…”

“Then come! Don’t be a spotter. Don’t sit in the stands. Stay in the coach. Sit on the box. Just be somewhere with a headset. Be here and keep me calm. Talk to me.” Hazel could hear the need in his voice. She plucked harder at the table cloth.

Blinking hard, she spoke quietly. “I know you don’t understand but this is for the best. I can’t just show up on camera right now, Tony. The trial is going to start and I am supposed to testify. Once that is over I can get on with my life but for now I need to stay out of the public eye. Can’t you understand that? Or respect this decision? At least not make it harder than it has to be.” Tony heard the distress coming through in her voice loud and clear.

“Promise me one thing. Promise me that when this trial is over that you and the boys are going to come with me to the races. Not one, not two, but a bunch.”

“I promise.”


	13. Chapter 13

Waking up on Sunday morning, Hazel stretched and thought about what Tony was probably doing in California. She sat straight up in bed and smacked herself in the forehead. “He has the home phone number, the arson story, and has probably gotten our address. It’s not that hard. He’ll be here when the race is over.” She flopped backwards on her bed. “Am I ready for this? Tony Stewart invading my life, my house, and my kids?” She rubbed her hands across her face. “He will be so pissed if I run again.” Hazel headed for the bathroom and her morning routine. Looking in the mirror she told herself, “It isn’t running if you and the boys simply take a week away from the mess that is going on here. You deserve a break together. If you make it a road trip headed _towards_ Martinsville, technically you aren’t running away from him. You are running towards him. Right?” She woke up the boys and told them that they were taking a trip, driving across several states in order to get to Martinsville, Virginia for next week’s race.

The boys were thrilled at the prospect of seeing a Nascar race in person again. Even better was the opportunity of getting away from the area where people stared at them all the time, asked if their father “Was the one who…” or the people who constantly said “I’m sorry”. They were so tired of it. The excitement of getting away made them move fast. By the time the race was underway, the little family was on the Interstate headed south.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tony, Kevin, DeLana, and Keelan were all safely on board the plane when Tony tweeted his warning.

Oh, Rella. I found your lucky slipper and will return it shortly.   
Still have cheesesteaks?

Kevin began harassing his friend. “You know nothing about women, do you? That began so well and went so wrong!”

“She doesn’t know you are coming? You decided to surprise her by showing up at her house out of the clear blue with no notice? I don’t know if that is wise, Tony.” DeLana warned.

Shaking his phone, Tony said, “I did give her notice, right here on Twitter.” He wrapped DeLana in a huge hug. “I know you feel like our fairy godmother or something since you found her again for me, but you have to trust me. I am not going to screw this up. She’s not getting away this time. And I am going to make sure she knows that whatever crap she is facing, we will face together. It can’t be any worse than what I dealt with last year. I would have given every tooth in my mouth to have someone like her standing firm in my corner – and something tells me she wouldn’t have wavered. I want to be there for her. **_I can do that_**.”

Kevin looked at his wife and mouthed “Every tooth in his mouth? Ewww.” He shuddered at the mental image of a toothless Tony Stewart.

DeLana tried to focus on their friend and ignore her husband’s antics. “I know, Tony. I know.” An alert on Twitter drew their attention. “I don’t recognize that name.”

“I do. That’s one of her kids.”

Road-trippin’ to Martinsville. Rella will be there.

“She’s not home?” DeLana asked. “See what happens when you don’t plan ahead?”

“She didn’t tell me she was leaving.” Tony mumbled. “She didn’t ask for Martinsville passes, either.” The now sullen man sunk back in his seat. “What am I going to do now?”

“You flip-flop so quickly. Up and down worse than a roller coaster. Level out. Plan ahead. If Hazel and her kids are going to be in Martinsville, what do you need to do to get ready?” Kevin blew bubbles on Keelan’s belly making the boy laugh. “Where are the boys going to sleep? What kind of food are you going to have there? Are the two of you going to have private time or family time? Is she going to sit on your pit box? Are her kids? Do you have a bunch of press scheduled? Anything that can be done ahead of time?” Tony’s eyes began to widen to comic levels. “Have you thought about rain delays? What will the kids do if…”

“KEVIN! Shut up!” DeLana slapped her hand across her husband’s mouth. She knew Kevin was taking pleasure in Tony’s discomfort but she was feeling sorry for their friend. Softening her voice, she reached for his hand. “In his own way, my idiot husband is trying to be helpful. You can plan ahead for the weekend with Hazel and the boys so you are ready AND it gives you something to do for the next few days.”

“It’s only a couple of days…” Tony said thoughtfully.

“Yes. A couple of days.” DeLana repeated.

“I made it this long, what’s a few more days?” Tony lifted his head and began tapping his fingers. “I need paper.” Kevin started making circles with his index finger next to his temple. “I’m not crazy, asshat!” Finding paper and a pen, Tony sat back down and started making a list. “The coach has to be cleaned, top to bottom. If the boys are going to be on it, it has to be spotless. Clean sheets, clean towels, everything in its place. Food – I need to message her and find out what kind of food they will want. After so many days on the road, I would figure they won’t want a lot of take-out. Oh! I’ll need a grill. What else did Cranky Harvick come up with? Games for the kids to play. Probably video. And I need to talk to Chad to make sure he knows about this…” Tony’s pen fairly flew across the paper.


	14. Chapter 14

“How are we going to get in to the track?”

“Is anyone else going to be there this early?”

“I didn’t think the drivers got there until Friday.”

“This has been fun, but don’t you think it’s time that we park somewhere? I can tell that Tony’s getting antsy.”

“Okay, okay. I get the point.” Hazel said with a smile early Wednesday afternoon. Her sons were rapid-firing questions and complaints followed by so-called observations based on Tony Stewart’s latest texted series of questions about their preferences.

“Do you? I mean, really. We have been on Interstate 85 for how many hours now? I think you have reached the point of exhaustion, Mom. Let’s just park the car and you can take a nap.” Her oldest son glanced back at his brother. Surely they were lost. There was no way they could spent this much time on the Interstate going to Martinsville. _BO-RING!_

“Better yet, let’s stop and grab a bite to eat. You’ll feel better, we’ll feel better, you can message Tony and he’ll feel better…It’s a great idea for everyone.” Her younger son suggested from the back seat.

“I agree. We are going to stop in a few minutes. But we aren’t near Martinsville. And Tony will be very, very happy. At least, I hope he will be.” Hazel reached for her phone and touched the ‘maps’ app. Finding what she was looking for, a voice filled the car and announced that the destination was only 20 minutes away. “Good. Now I am starting to get nervous.” Her oldest started looking at road signs and reached over to hold her hand. Now that he knew where they were and what his mother was up to, he was going to support her 100%.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hazel parked her car in the back of the lot, away from all of the other cars. The large grey building looked formidable and the huge red beams were quite intimidating. “He’s going to be surprised and thrilled to see you. Chin up, Mom.” The boys flanked her as they walked across the lot and made their way to the front doors. Hazel was surprised that fans could walk inside unimpeded. She took out her phone and took pictures of the boys with the cars that were on display. Seeing Tony’s old 20 car raised her eyebrow. A Gibbs car on display here? That definitely required a picture, but this time she was the one to pose next to the retired race car. Then they made their way to the glass wall to watch the men working on the massive lines of cars. The three of them stood still for a while until Hazel finally saw the person she had hoped would make an appearance. Snapping a picture, she sent a text first.

Lookin’ good. Ready for Martinsville?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tony caught up with his crew chief on the way to the garage floor. “So we are set for the weekend?”

Chad rolled his eyes and gave his driver a tight smile as he tucked his clipboard under his arm. “Yes, Tony. The car is as ready as can be. Everything is just as ready as it was last time you asked, oh, about half an hour ago. Nothing has changed in the last three hours. Or the last twelve hours. Or any of the last hundred times you have asked the exact same question!” Stopping outside the garage doors, he tried to lose the exasperation that he knew was filling his voice. “Hey, man. Why don’t you just give me a copy of your list? Maybe I can get some help with everything you want done.”

Tony shook his head, refusing the help. “This needs to be perfect. Thanks for the offer but I have one shot at this. I have to make sure everything is exactly the way it is supposed to be.”

Chad grabbed his boss’s arm. “You are going to make yourself nuts with that kind of thinking. You trust us to give you an awesome car, trust us to help you with this. We want the happy Tony back. We won’t let you down.” He pushed open the door and headed for the car and the crew.

Shortly thereafter Tony appeared and said, “There’s a reason the boss hired you to be the crew chief.” Chad nodded, knowing this was Tony’s way of apologizing. “Here’s the thing. I know the coach has been cleaned, scrubbed inside and out. It’s got brand new sheets and towels, the rugs were shampooed, every surface disinfected, the outside has been waxed… I don’t think that thing has ever sparkled so much. I have brand new video games that her kids said they like and controllers for four people. What are you smiling at?”

“Breathe man, breathe. It’s going to be okay.” Chad assured him with a smile. “You know racing. Every weekend you go to the track and focus on the race. She knows this, I am sure. Stick with what you know. Let her into your real world, not some fake crap you are creating to impress her.”

“What if her kids are bored and hate it? Then she won’t come back.” Tony felt his phone buzz with a message and pulled it from his pocket. “Whhaatt?” He looked around and then said to Chad, “I am going to have to go for the day.”

“Something wrong?” Chad asked, concern lacing his voice.

“Everything is right. Absolutely, wonderfully right!” Tony almost sang as he sent a message. He pulled his to-do list from his pocket as he tucked his phone away. “Take care of this for me, would ya?” He shoved the list into Chad’s chest and took off at a near run.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hazel was almost leaning against the glass wall as she watched Tony and Chad Johnston talk next to one of the number 14 cars. Casually Tony pulled his phone from his pocket and got a puzzled look on his face. Knowing that he had received her text she smiled at her boys and said, “Let’s see how good he really is.” She turned her back to the garage and sent the photo her boys with the display cars. Then she had her boys take one of her in front of Tony’s fleet of 14’s and nodded to send it to him. Both of her kids had goofy grins as she put her hands on their shoulders to guide them out the front doors, not daring to look back. They cleared the front doors when her phone alerted her of a text. Opening it, she saw a brief but pointed message.

Don’t take another step.

A huge grin split her face in two as Hazel let go of her children and continued to walk along the front entrance. As she got close to the big red steel post, Tony came around the other side and froze her in place by sliding his hand along her jaw. “I thought I told you not to take another step.” he whispered against her forehead. Hazel opened her mouth to retort but Tony had pushed her against the steel post and silenced her with a heated kiss. The sound of two throats clearing reminded Tony they weren’t alone. Pulling back slowly he muttered, “I thought you were on your way to Martinsville. This isn’t Martinsville. I am so happy you aren’t in Martinsville. You are here. You are really here.” He framed her face with both of his hands.

Hazel had grasped both of his biceps for leverage. Her knees were weak from the kiss. “I missed you, Tony. And the boys wanted to meet you.”

“We were bored.” The boys corrected their mother from a few feet away.

Tony chuckled at their honesty. “I think we can do something about the boredom if you promise to let Mom and I have some time alone to talk.”

Hazel’s oldest son stepped close to the man who was holding on to his mother. “As long as you are just talking, okay. She’s been through enough and doesn’t need…”

“Joey!” she exclaimed.

Tony faced the young man and held out his hand. “Joey, I promise that I will do my level best not to add more stress to your mother’s life. I can promise to treat her with the utmost respect.”

“Just don’t f*ck around on her.” Joey said bluntly. His feet were planted shoulder width apart and his arms were crossed over his chest; a posture that would have been intimidating if he had muscle tone on his 5 foot 8 inch frame.

“Or get violent with her.” John added. Her youngest son stood beside his brother, approaching his height but his smaller stature made him a virtual mini-me of his brother. His statement opened a door that Hazel hadn’t thought about. There hadn’t been violence in her marriage but did her children know that? Did they think there was?

“Mom can take care of the rest. You’d better treat her right.”

“BOYS!” Hazel’s face was almost as red as the post Tony had pinned her against.

Tony wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in tightly as she tried to wiggle away. “I guess that explains some of what you said we’d talk about later.” he mumbled. To the boys he said, “Maybe this isn’t the place for this conversation. I will swear to you both that your mother is someone very special to me. And I’ve never raised my hand to a woman in my life.” Looking around, he saw a group of fans approaching at a fast clip. “I suggest that we either move this to my office or home. I would rather we go home. I just want…”

“We are parked in the back row.” Hazel told him softly.

“I am in employee parking.” Looking into her eyes and then over at the boys, he said, “Screw it. Lead the way to your car. Someone can pick me up in the morning.”


	15. Chapter 15

Hazel sat back on the sofa with a smile on her face. Her feet were tucked up under her body and she held her drink in her hands as she watched her sons wrestling on the floor with Tony pinning them both down, huffing as he shouted, “Say ‘Uncle’! Come on, say it!” Neither boy would relent, so he tightened his grip, making their mother laugh. All three looked at her as he repeated his demands. Finally John called out the word Tony wanted to hear and he backed off of the boys, still watching their mother.

Joey rolled to his knees beside Tony. “I don’t remember the last time Mom looked this happy.” he admitted.

Tony put his hand on the boy’s shoulder as he got up. “I haven’t been this happy in a long time, either.” He dropped to the sofa beside Hazel. “Or this winded.” He laid his head on Hazel’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

“Can we count that as Tony Stewart tapping out?” John asked as was he still laid out on the floor. His brother quickly rolled him up in a pin. “Not fair! Not fair!”

Joey jumped up and danced around the room. “Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner!” Hazel smiled at her son’s antics. Tony peeked up at her from his perch on her shoulder, enthralled by the joy apparent in her face. _This is what I want in my life. This…_ He couldn’t even finish the thought. He reached for her hand and put it on top of his head. Hazel began running her fingers through his hair.

Watching Tony interact with her children was something that Hazel had dreamed of. Not Tony, necessarily, but a father-figure. In the last months of his life, their father was so busy pulled away by so many things that he couldn’t spend the time goofing off with his boys like this. They missed it… She missed it. She missed fussing at them to stop rough-housing because someone was going to get hurt. She missed reminding him to act like an adult. She missed having to yell repeatedly that dinner was done and getting cold on the table. She missed griping that she was the only person that acted like an adult in the house and that wrestling in the living room was a sure-fire way to break something. Hazel mourned the loss of those memories; knowing that those types of events would never happen again. Yet here she sat, watching Tony play around with her sons... Tony Stewart, who could ill afford any type of injury. He was willing to goof off and wrestle around with her kids. Her kids felt comfortable enough with him to wrestle with him and try to put him in a headlock, try to pin him on the floor, try to make him submit – like that would ever happen! Turning her head to the side, Hazel realized that Tony had moved her hand and she was absent-mindedly running her fingers through his hair. It felt good. Right. Everything about tonight felt like… home. Family. Except one thing.

She was still wearing her wedding ring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joey and John hugged their mother goodnight. Tony had told them that they could sleep in on Thursday, but once they got up to be ready for the day to get busy. They smiled and replied, “Yes, sir.” before giving him a quick hug as well.

Tony turned to find Hazel losing her battle to hold back her tears. “What’s wrong?” He rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her.

Hazel buried her face into his chest. “Not a thing. Everything is perfect. You are perfect. They are perfect. Together you are perfect. How can this be so perfect?”

Tony’s hands held the back of her head carefully as he slid his thumbs along her jawline, slowly lifting her head so he could see her face. “Look at me.” he demanded, waiting until she complied. “We have both paid our dues. We’ve had our share of heartbreak. Life hasn’t been easy for either of us and now we’ve finally found each other. Do you know how long I have searched for someone who would understand me? Who would want to share my life with me? Really and truly _share_ my life with me and not change me to fit what she wanted? Forty-three years. My whole entire life.” Hazel gulped hard. “I’m not saying that I am going to propose this weekend, so wipe the look of terror off your face.” he groaned. “I am saying that ever since Daytona, ever since we have talked, met, spent time together, I have been able to picture you in every facet of my life. I can see you on my pit box during a race calming me down. I can see you popping into the race shop and telling me something mundane about your day. I can see you at home in Indiana fixing dinner in that kitchen I have no clue how to use. I can see you on the lake, on the other end of my boat, when I am fishing giving me that look that says ‘couldn’t we go inside and screw around instead?’ I can see you in my bed, first thing in the morning when the sun comes up and hits your face. I can imagine looking at you, in my arms, and not wanting to get out of bed. Now I can even imagine hearing those two knuckleheads running through the house yelling about wanting breakfast and ruining the mood.”

“Oh, Tony.” Hazel sighed as she leaned forward and kissed his scruffy chin.

He kissed her nose and whispered so softly that, even though they were centimeters apart, she almost missed it. “Can you see it?”

“Perfectly.” She murmured, her lips still touching his chin. “I can almost feel the sunshine on my face as we sit on the lake. I can nearly hear the roar of the engines and smell the burning rubber as I sit on the pit box and you pull away after your stop. I can feel your arms around me.” She stumbled over the last sentence as his hands dropped to caress her back. Drawing in a breath that pulled his scent deep into her lungs, she continued. “I feel like this might work but then I wonder if it is a dream and I am afraid I will wake up.”

“Then we are both dreaming.” Tony whispered.

Hazel moved her left hand to rest over Tony’s heart and she looked down at her ring. “I need to tell you something.” He clutched her hips tightly and looked at her ring as well. “My fears… My worries… What Joey said earlier… It really does have nothing to do with you. It’s all him.” With her right hand she began to twist her ring. “I loved him. I truly did. And I fought for our marriage. But he…” Tony’s heart began to pound under her hand, as if he knew what she was about to say. He didn’t interrupt her. “My husband had a girlfriend. Someone that he worked with. I don’t know exactly how long it was going on, only that it had been for several months.” She lifted her head and looked directly into Tony’s eyes. “I mourned the loss of my marriage. I mourned what he gave up. Those were his decisions.” Tony watched as she twisted the ring off of her finger. “He chose her. He went back into the fire to save his lover. And I will have to testify that losing him has had a dramatic impact on our lives because the fire was arson. We want the man who set the fire to get the maximum. He shouldn’t get off because my husband was a cheater.” She now held her wedding ring between her right index finger and thumb. “I am stuck…”

Tony pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Not stuck, moving on slowly. Taking the steps necessary to help your family heal.” He wrapped his left hand around her right. “You are making progress. And I want to be part of it. I understand that this is part of your future, for the time being. In time it will disappear.” Tilting her head to the side, he kissed her hard. “But for tonight it stays off.” He took the ring from her hand and slid it into his pocket. Hazel didn’t say anything, leaving her hands resting against his chest. “This weekend is about us. You, me, and the boys. Think of it as the fairy tale part two.” As his lips touched hers he said, “We can talk about everything else later, but let’s enjoy this… All of us enjoy this without the dark cloud overhead.” Then he mashed their bodies together and took her mouth in a passionate kiss. Feeling her body tremble and knees begin to shake, he backed her towards the wall. Hazel’s arms slid around his neck and as her back made contact with the creamy yellow wall she raised her right leg to curl around his thigh. Tony groaned at her enthusiastic response. He slid his hands down to cradle her backside, pulling her into his thrust. Pulling his lips from hers, he stared into her eyes and asked, “Moving this upstairs?” Hazel nodded as she ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head and biting her bottom lip. With another thrust of his hips Tony groaned “Don’t do that. That’s my job.” A devilish smirk crossed Hazel’s face as she leaned her head back against the wall. She kept her lip between her teeth and returned Tony’s thrust with a tiny one of her own. Tony pinned her against the wall so she was completely immobile. The look in his eyes now so hard it would have been scary if Hazel hadn’t known what was behind it. “Move. Now.” He put both of his hands on the wall over her head and backed his body away. Hazel unwrapped herself and ducked under his arm. “Hazel.” he muttered darkly drawing her eyes to his. “I have wanted you for the last four weeks. You need to get upstairs fast. No more teasing.” Hazel froze as she took in the implications of his words, the look on his face, and the way he was clenching his fist and jaw. Gone was the light-hearted teasing man she had seen with her children. The tender and sweet man that had handled so kindly was no longer visible. In front of her was a man in the grips of uncontrollable desire; no one had ever looked at her with the fevered torment that he did right now. “Haz…” he started to growl and one hand began to move. She whirled and headed for the steps. 


End file.
